


The Sacrifice

by Dragon_Scribe



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Blood, Confessions, M/M, Major Character Injury, Post-Thriller Bark, The Confrontation I Needed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-06 05:57:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14050416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Scribe/pseuds/Dragon_Scribe
Summary: It was obvious that the cook was avoiding him.





	The Sacrifice

It was obvious that the cook was avoiding him. The crew had departed from what was left of Thriller Bark a few days ago and in that time, Sanji hadn’t said a word to Zoro or even met his eyes the whole time. He still fawned all over the girls, scolded the other guys if they tried to sneak into the kitchen for snacks before meals, but he always managed to steer clear of Zoro. As soon as he entered a room that the blond was in, Sanji would find some excuse and leave.

By the third day, Zoro finally had enough. Before dinner, he stomped up the stairs and was about to burst through the door of the galley when an arm appeared on the wall, stopping him. He turned to raise an eyebrow at Robin as she stood at the top of the stairs.

“I wouldn’t confront him right now. Wait until later tonight.” She advised, giving him a knowing smirk. Zoro watched in concealed shock as she walked away. Sometimes, it honestly scared him how observing she was. He glanced at the kitchen one more time before sighing and heading to the crow’s nest to train.

Once the sun set beneath the horizon, the call for dinner sent the entire crew hurrying to the dining room. Zoro followed everyone else in, thoughts consumed on how he was going to get the cook to talk. As usual, Sanji had cooked an extravagant meal that made the crew’s mouths drool. And as usual, it was devoured in minutes with the air full of praises to his skills. The others chatted amiably to each other but Zoro’s attention was elsewhere. The swordsman watched Sanji’s face, as he did sometimes when the food the cook made was eaten, to see the subtle, pride-filled smile on his face.

After everyone was full and satisfied, they began to filter out of the dining room to do their own thing for the night. Zoro didn’t move, the words he wanted to say on the tip of his tongue but as he watched the cook round up the rest of the dishes, maintaining a four feet distance from him, the words dissipated and he found himself standing and leaving. Cursing at himself in frustration, he moved to the railing of the Sunny and sighed. He knew that he wasn’t the best at expressing his emotions. It was hard for him to discuss anything remotely personal but for some reason, it felt even more difficult to talk to Sanji.

“SANJI~! MORE FOOD!” Luffy screamed, running back towards the kitchen. Zoro rolled his eyes at his captain’s childish behavior and didn’t even need to turn around to know that he was sent flying out of the galley by an angry cook. Grumbling about how stingy Sanji is, Luffy finally walked away to go below deck. Zoro finally did one last glance around before making his way across the deck once more. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped inside. The blond was standing at the sink, washing the dishes.

“For the last time, Luffy, you already ate dinner so just go to bed!” Sanji sighed, not turning around. Zoro simply closed the door and moved further into the room. When he didn’t hear Luffy’s whining, Sanji set the dish he was rinsing down and looked over. Zoro watched as the cook’s entire body tensed as he immediately turned back to the dishes again. “What do you want, marimo?” He asked, tersely.

“Why’re you avoiding me?” Zoro questioned, standing near the counter behind Sanji. The curly-brow grabbed the towel next to him and dried the dish off, setting it down.

“I’m not.”

“Don’t lie. You haven’t started a fight with me since I woke up.” Zoro noted.

“You _want_ me to fight you?” Sanji grumbled.

“I want you to tell me why you haven’t even looked me in the eye in days.” He countered. With an exasperated sigh, the cook turned around to directly glare at Zoro.

“Happy?” Sanji hissed, crossing his arms. Zoro stared into his eye in an attempt to get a read on him but the other man was already looking away.

“What’s wrong with you?” He frowned.

“Like you don’t know. Just leave me alone, you damn bastard.” Sanji growled, acid in his voice. This only added to Zoro’s confusion as he tried to think of what he did to piss the man off so much.

“I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me what the hell I did wrong!” Zoro exclaimed in frustration. The blond’s face twisted in fury as he growled, not saying anything as he started to walk away. “Oi, wait,” Zoro reached out but Sanji whirled around, smacking his hand away. He froze as he saw the look in the cook’s eye that made him sharply exhale: a heart-wrenching mix of sorrow and betrayal. A sluggish memory sparked and played before Zoro’s mind.

 

_“The head of the man who would one day become the strongest swordsman… isn’t bad either!” Zoro bargained, hands to the ground as he discarded his pride and begged._

_“Even with such an ambition, you’d sacrifice yourself for this man?” Kuma inquired._

_“The way I see it, this is the only way to help the crew. How can I protect my ambition when I can’t even protect my captain! Luffy’s the man who’s gonna become the Pirate King!” Zoro declared, staring up at the Warlord before him. Kuma said nothing as the swordsman waited for him to consider his deal. Zoro was not going to let the man kill Luffy. Not while he was still breathing. He was going to keep the crew safe and if it meant that he would die here with his dream left unfulfilled… so be it._

_“Hold it, hold it, you bastard!” A familiar voice shouted, making Zoro’s eyes widen. Sanji stumbled forward, barely keeping on his feet as he forced himself towards the Warlord. “What’ll happen if you die?” Sanji questioned, frowning. “What about your ambition, idiot?”_

_“You!” Zoro started as the cook stopped in front of him._

_“Hey, big guy!” Sanji called._

_“Oi!”_

_“Forget this marimo swordsman. Take my life instead!”_

_‘No,’ was the first thought that Zoro had._

_“The Marines are still taking me lightly, but… before long, the one who’s bound to become the most dangerous person in this crew… is me, Black Leg Sanji!” Sanji exclaimed._

_“Bastard!” Zoro growled, thoughts running wild in his head._

_He stared up at the man standing between him and Kuma in horror, the blond’s body trembling visibly as his breathing picked up. He didn’t know if it was because of Sanji’s wounds or because of the crippling fear of death that was closing in on him._

_“What’re you waiting for? Take my life… instead of his.” Sanji pleaded, voice choked. “I’m prepared to exchange my life for his! The flower of my glorious death shall bloom on this spot.”_

_‘Stop.’_

_The cook paused before his voice became softer as he spoke again, to Zoro, “Oi, make sure to… say goodbye to everyone for me.”_

_‘Stop, you can’t,’_

_“Tell them I’m sorry, but they’ll have to look for a new cook.”_

_‘You can’t die!’_

_Zoro couldn’t bear it anymore. Lifting his sword, he leaped forward and slammed the hilt into Sanji’s side. A strangled grunt escaped from the man’s lips as he reached out and grabbed hold of Zoro. Through all of the pain and exhaustion he felt in that moment, with Sanji desperately struggling to stay conscious as he gripped his shoulder like a vice, all Zoro could see were the fearful tears glossing over Sanji’s eyes._

_“Zo…ro, please,” he whispered. Zoro couldn’t say anything as the man’s hand loosened, slipping down his arm, his fingers wrapping around his own hand before Sanji’s eyelids slipped closed and he collapsed to the ground._

 

“This is about the fight, isn’t it?” Zoro asked, already knowing the answer. The other man turned his back on him, fists clenched at his side as he stood, unmoving. “If you want me to apologize for knocking you out, just—“ Zoro was interrupted by a harsh snort.

“You should have let me do it.”

“What?” Zoro asked, shocked.

“You should have let me take the hit, Zoro!” He exploded, spinning around and digging his hands into the swordsman’s shirt. “You almost died! You get that?! The crew needs you. You should have just let him kill me instead!” Zoro couldn’t believe what he was hearing as the cook shook with outrage.

“You expected me to just sit there and watch him cut you down?” He retorted, frowning as he barely kept his voice level.

“I wasn’t about to let him kill you when I was right there. I _couldn’t_ let him kill you, you understand? I was more than willing to die so that you could keep living! But,” Sanji tried to catch his breath and Zoro snapped out of his own growing anger at the haunted expression on Sanji’s face as his watery eye focused on the extensive bandages still wrapped around the swordsman’s body. “When I-When I found you like that, all I could think was that you died before I could tell you how I felt about you, damn it! I-I didn’t want you to die, you shitty swordsman!” He stammered, his voice becoming warbled as he struggled to hold back tears. Zoro stared down at the other man in shock as he clutched onto his shirt with a bowed head and shaking hands, hands that were always so sturdy and precise. Neither of them said anything, the only sounds in the galley being Sanji’s heavy breathing as he struggled to gain any sense of composure over himself.

The words that the cook said were being absorbed into Zoro’s skin, swirling into a flame in his chest, warming his insides but strangling his heart at the same time. There was a brief sense of bliss that he wasn’t the only one that had begun to stare a bit too long and yearn for all forms of contact with the other.

Suddenly, all he wanted was to be close to him, to do everything he could to comfort the usually composed man. Without thinking anything more, Zoro reached out and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him as close as he could. Sanji’s breath caught in his throat as he made feeble attempts to break free.

“I’m sorry, Sanji,” Zoro said, making him freeze. “But if I had to, if it meant that you and the others would live, I would do it again.” A wrangled sob managed to force its way through Sanji’s lips as his visible eye began to overflow.

“I know you would,” he whispered, dropping his head onto the other man’s shoulder. “Damn it, I’m just happy that you’re alive.” Zoro squeezed him tighter at his words and Sanji’s hands slowly moved to wrap around his torso.

“I am, too,” The swordsman whispered, turning his head slightly to press his lips gently to the side of Sanji’s head. Hesitantly, the blond nuzzled into Zoro’s neck and took a shaky breath that washed over his skin.

Neither of them knew what was going to happen next, or what obstacles they would face and struggles they would be faced with, but both of them knew that neither would face the challenges alone.

 

_Sanji awoke with a gasp, his injuries sending a rush of pain through his body as he forced himself to sit up. At the sound of voices, he turned his head to see Luffy bouncing around the rest of the crew, as if he had not just been through an excruciating battle. Looking around, he saw three familiar swords discarded on a neighboring piece of rubble. His heart stopped as he forced himself to his feet and stood over them. Eye scanning his surroundings and not finding their owner, he broke out in a sprint. Jumping over and sliding down the rubble around him, he desperately searched for Zoro._

_“There’s no way he could still be in one piece! Where is he?! Damn it!” he thought aloud, before something caught his eye and he stopped. Amidst the fog, he could see bright green hair and he felt relief wash over him. “There he is,” Sanji whispered in relief and started towards him. “Phew, the hell do you think you’re playing at?! Hey! Where’d that Warlord go?” He asked as he moved closer, looking around before his eyes fully registered the sight before him. It was Zoro, his arms crossed over his chest and his clothes barely holding together. Blood from many wounds flowed in rivers down his body, dripping to the ground like rain. When Sanji looked down, he saw an expansive area of crimson coating the ground with Zoro at the center. Sanji’s jaw dropped in shock, shouting, “What’s with all this blood?!”, his panic making his voice louder. “Hey, are you still alive?! Where is that guy?! What happened here?!”_

_“Nothing… happened.” Zoro ground out, hoarsely. Sanji felt his heart leap into his throat as the other man began to fall forward._

_“No, no, no,” he mumbled in fear, leaping forward to put his body in front of Zoro’s. He managed to catch his weight and wrap his arms around him. “Oi, Zoro! Zoro!” Sanji called, desperately trying to wake him up. He felt warm blood begin to soak into his tattered clothes and his heart began to pound dangerously in fear. Leaning down toward Zoro’s damaged chest, he pressed his ear to his sternum and let out a relieved exhale when he heard the shaky thump of Zoro’s heart. “Okay, marimo, just hang in there. I’ll get you to Chopper. You’re gonna be fine so you better not fucking die, you damn idiot.” Sanji rambled, pulling Zoro’s arm around his neck and wrapping his own around the man’s waist. His own body was burning and aching, the events of the night beginning to settle deep into his bones but he forced everything down. He had to get Zoro help and if that meant Sanji was to carry him, so be it. He would be his support, as long as he needed it, whenever he needed it. Securing his grip on the swordsman, he began to walk._


End file.
